AC 197
by Helaine85
Summary: Kind of AU. Takes place after the war, and Relena is still ruling the Sanc Kingdom. Her country and life are once again threatened, and Heero comes to help. HeeroXRelena.


AN: This is probably the first fanfic I ever wrote, so please note that this doesn't really fit into the series at all; Just assume that war is over, and Relena is still the princess of the Sanc Kingdom rather than a Vice Foreign Minister. It's also one of the only fics I wrote for this pairing; I don't usually write HeeroXRelena stuff.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or it's characters. Any OC's belong to me, but I don't think there are too many of them.  
  
A. C. 197  
  
   
  
Tangled in a huge mess of docking ropes, Duo attempted to reach for a wrench that lay only three feet away. Stretching, his hand fell short by at least five inches. He almost had it by swinging himself back and forth on Deathscythe's finger, just about…  
  
The door swung open rather loudly. Surprised, Duo lost his balance and dropped the remaining ten feet to land hard on his back. Trowa stood at the door, his face completely expressionless. "Dinner's ready" he announced in his monotone voice.  
  
"I'm fine, thanks for asking", Duo grumbled, dusting himself off. From inside a wonderful smell caught his nose. Obviously Quatre got somebody else to cook for him tonight, he thought. Thank God! The boy couldn't cook to save his soul.  
  
He left the cold basement, which was really more of a warehouse. A trail of black footprints followed behind him, evidence that he'd forgotten to take off his shoes.  
  
"Duo! Look at this mess you made! That won't come out", Hilde cried. She stood in the kitchen, a dripping ladle clutched dangerously in her hand.  
  
"Don't worry, Quatre can replace the carpeting. In fact, he could probably replace the whole house", Duo muttered. "So what's for dinner?"  
  
"Spaghetti", she called, returning to the large pot of boiling water. She grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. "Why don't you do something to wake up your friends? They haven't said a word for nearly an hour now," she whispered. "It's disturbing!"  
  
"Sorry pal. Nothing gets those guys to talk", he said. "Aside from the occasional crisis or natural disaster, that is." Entering the living room, he saw the usual scene. Quatre watching TV, Wufei reading a newspaper and pretending not to watch TV, Trowa sitting alone staring into space, and Heero working on the computer. "You know, you guys were a lot more exciting when people were killing each other," he said, flopping down into the recliner and stealing a remote from Quatre who was watching a nature documentary.  
  
"Yuck!" he said while changing the channel. "Now this is more like it." Stopping on a football station, he slumped further into the recliner and readjusted himself so his braid wouldn't dig into his back.  
  
"Could you turn it up a little louder? I don't think I'm deaf yet," Wufei said dryly.  
  
"Come on, Duo, I want to see my show", Quatre said annoyed but trying unsuccessfully not to show it.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a hand fly out to snatch the remote. It dealt him a blow on the arm and stole it. "Hey!" Duo cried, trying to grab the remote back from Wufei.  
  
Turning it to the news, both Duo and Quatre groaned. So much for the game, he thought, annoyed. "Now come on Wufei, there's nothing on the news that you haven't already read in the newspaper," Duo explained, still trying to get the controls.  
  
"What he means is that he placed money on the game," Heero stated. He didn't even look up from the computer as he talked.  
  
"Thank you Heero Yuy. You just had to choose now to talk," Duo said sarcastically.  
  
"What is it with Americans and football, anyway?" Wufei wondered out loud.  
  
Quatre leaned forward. "Isn't that Miss Relena?" he asked no one in particular. All eyes turned toward the TV.  
  
"Queen Relena Peacecraft will be visiting the colony L-1 this week to attend conferences discussing Earth's natural resource shortage. Extra- armed guards have been added to her staff, due to recent assassination attempts," The broadcaster read. A picture of Queen Relena popped up into the right hand corner of the screen. "And on to other news…"  
  
The screen went blank, thanks to Wufei. Four pairs of eyes traveled over to Heero, who instantly rose and left the room.  
  
"Good grief. You mention Relena and he can't even stay in the room," Duo commented, receiving a glare from everyone else. "What?"  
  
"You should learn more control over that mouth of yours," Wufei growled and slapped him upside the head.  
  
"Dinner!" Hilde called, setting down plates at the table.  
  
"Why don't you go sit down and I'll take care of the drinks?" Quatre offered.  
  
"Thank you, Quatre, you're very kind," Hilde replied, hanging up her apron. Sitting down next to Duo, she added, "Unlike some people I know."  
  
"Remind me why I decided to live with all of you creeps?" Duo asked, mostly to himself.  
  
"I'm still trying to figure out why all of us 'creeps' live with you", Wufei said.  
  
Duo chose to ignore him. "I mean, who have I got to talk to anyway? Trowa and Heero aren't human, Wufei's a jerk, and Quatre, well, he's too nice."  
  
"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Quatre wondered.  
  
"Well you could always talk to yourself," Wufei said. "Seems to work well enough so far."  
  
"So what's wrong with me?" Hilde asked sarcastically.  
  
"Nothin'. See guys, now this is a real friend. She buys me chips, replaces Quatre on his cooking night so we don't all die of food poisoning…"  
  
"That was only once," Quatre protested, completely undignified. "And Trowa was only sick for one day."  
  
"Next time just order out," Duo advised.  
  
From upstairs came the sound of an explosion, followed by a series of curses (most of which were in Japanese).  
  
"That must be Heero," Quatre said, as they were already heading upstairs. Duo opened the door slowly and cautiously, not wanting to end up getting killed.  
  
Heero stood up from where he'd fallen on the floor. Glass lay scattered everywhere and the computer screen, or rather what was left of it, sat smoking.  
  
"What happened?" Trowa asked, his voice never rising or falling.  
  
"A virus caused an electricity shortage in the computer and the monitor blew up," Heero explained. A little pool of blood was forming around his hand, but he didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Heero, you're bleeding!" Quatre exclaimed and gently lifted the hand to see the damage. A long, jagged red line was cut into the palm. "Trowa, get some bandages and antiseptic."  
  
"Where'd the virus come from?" Wufei asked practically.  
  
"The RSS. I was trying to hack into their computer system", he said plainly, pulling his bloody hand back from Quatre. Trowa entered the room again, the strong scent of medicine following in his wake.  
  
"What is the RSS?" Hilde asked.  
  
"Royal Security Systems," Trowa answered quietly. He handed Quatre the medical supplies, looking almost as if he didn't know what to do with them.  
  
"Tryin' to get a look at your girlfriend, huh?" Duo asked smirking. Everybody glared at him again. His remark was followed by a strange wheezing noise, caused by Wufei's elbow.  
  
"I was trying to find out who was behind the assassinations," he corrected, slightly agitated. "There seems to be more to this than we're seeing."  
  
"Sounds like a good idea, but that virus will continue to get in our way if we do it from here," Trowa pointed out.  
  
"I agree. I'm going to Earth. The only way to get the information I need is through the castle's computers," Heero said.  
  
"Hold on. We barely know anything. Maybe nothing too suspicious is going on. Assassinations happen, especially with young rulers, and Relena has plenty of guards already. What evidence do you have that she needs us?" Duo asked.  
  
Heero finished wrapping his hand. The crimson stain was still there, standing out terribly. "I know that the virus was not part of the RSS. Somebody else installed it, who was obviously trying to hide something. I'm leaving in Wing Zero tonight to find out. The last thing we need is another war a year after the first one."  
  
"Fine, but at least take someone with you," Quatre said. "Just in case."  
  
"That's not necessary. I'm going alone," Heero said.  
  
"Please say we don't have to through this conversation again," Duo pleaded. Every time something comes up, one of us always wants to go alone, and Quatre wants to go together. In essence, he's the reason we are all together. Duo wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing. He rubbed his rib cage bitterly. "Look, we'll just hang out in atmosphere while you do your thing. If you don't come back, we'll go make sure you're not getting too comfortable with the Queen. Deal?"  
  
Heero glared and didn't answer. Duo figured that was the closest thing to a yes he was going to get. "Good. Then let's go."  
  
   
  
   
  
~*~  
  
   
  
Heero wasn't entirely sure how long he'd been traveling. On the other hand he didn't really care. He stared through disheveled bangs at a small window. The infinite blackness of space surrounded him, making him feel so alone.  
  
It's better this way, he told himself. The closer you get to other people, the more dependent on them you become. This makes you weak and I can't let that happen to me. Weak people die.  
  
A little nagging voice in the back of his head told him it was too late. Try as he might to isolate himself, he'd already gotten too close to the five other Gundam pilots. And Relena. He'd let that happen when he didn't kill her. And now he was weak and there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
Behind him four other man-shaped structures came to a stop, their white coloring standing out against space. Quatre's image appeared on a little screen.  
  
"All right, Heero. You can take it from here," he said smiling. "Good luck!"  
  
Heero turned off the screen, alone again, and entered Earth's atmosphere. He swayed back and forth as the G-force rocked his Gundam slightly.  
  
He landed the Wing Zero in Bird mode in a forest near the Sanc Kingdom. There was a strange feeling welling up inside of him that he couldn't recognize. But it didn't matter; all he cared about right now was the mission at hand. He'd worry about this sort of thing later.  
  
The hatch opened and he stepped out of the cockpit. Earth's seemingly endless horizon was overwhelming after living in the colonies for a year. The openness here was somewhat like space, only it was full of plants and animals. He wasn't alone here.  
  
The walk to the palace took about an hour. Walking up behind the two guards, he easily took them down with two movements of his bandaged hand.  
  
Stealthily he entered the castle. Music and the sound of voices came from a large room at the end of the hall. Peering in, he watched as Lucrezia Noin and Milliardo Peacecraft escorted Relena from the room.  
  
Silently slipping through the crowd of courtiers, he followed behind them. Two more guards dropped to the floor soundlessly as he passed. They stopped at two large wooden doors. The soldiers on guard there immediately snapped back to attention. Saluting Relena and her escorts they opened the doors for her, revealing a den-like room. The doors were closed again behind them.  
  
Something made him hesitate, and Heero waited for a moment as the guards fell back to talking. The feeling in his chest returned, stronger now, and still mysterious. He crept up and quickly took care of the first man. The second turned around just in time to meet Heero's fist. He dropped to the ground with his comrade, blood gushing freely from his nose.  
  
Opening the door he entered unnoticed. Relena needs better security he thought to himself. Inside, Relena sat on a couch opposite from Milliardo and Noin. Milliardo poured cups of steaming tea from a rice china teapot, while talking quietly. From his position, Heero couldn't hear what they were saying.  
  
In the dark hallway across from him, a shadow lurked. Heero's eyes could see the silhouette, black on black. The figure raised what could only be a gun and aimed it at Relena. His mind raced. Should he reveal himself and save Relena? If so, he might not get a chance to infiltrate the RSS computers and he wouldn't accomplish his mission.  
  
He didn't wait for the right answer to come to him. Jumping out of his hiding place, he sprinted over to the hallway, completely oblivious to the fact that he might get shot. The three gasped in surprise as he ran past. Relena stood up. "Heero?" she asked half-unbelieving. Heero ignored her.  
  
Gun raised the man shot and hit Heero in the shoulder. Fighting back the pain, he jumped back up again. Now Milliardo was at his side, trying to help him regain his lost balance.  
  
Heero pushed the older man away. Running down the hall, his arm hung limply at his side. Dammit, he thought. Now how am I getting back to L-1?  
  
The man stopped and took aim again. The bullet missed him by mere centimeters. Heero continued running, ignoring the hot stabbing pain in his shoulder; Dr. J had taught him better than to let wounds stop him, and it certainly wasn't the first time he'd been shot.  
  
Finally he was upon his enemy, a middle-aged man with slightly graying black hair and a drooping mustache. Heero laid him down with a punch, but the guy was tough. Swinging his foot, he caught Heero off balance and Heero landed painfully on the damaged arm. While the man prepared to shoot again, Heero's foot shot out and knocked the gun from his hand. Another swift kick and Heero's enemy was unconscious. Being an older man, there was a strong chance he might go into a coma.  
  
Milliardo rushed forward followed by Noin and Relena. The loss of blood finally caught up with him and he blacked out.  
  
   
  
~*~  
  
   
  
"Hurry Noin! Call for an ambulance!" Relena shouted as she knelt beside the broken body. Heero Yuy, she thought. I haven't seen you since the fight with Mariemaia, almost a year ago.  
  
"There's a doctor in the palace already!" Noin yelled back. "She's on her way now!"  
  
"Good," Relena said, half-whispering. What on Earth is he doing here? Seems like every time he shows up, something dangerous is going on.  
  
And she was right again. It seemed like another attempted assassination had occurred, and Heero had showed up in time to stop it. He'd saved her life yet again.  
  
A woman clad in a long white lab coat rushed in, along with guards who had heard the gunshots. Why didn't the men by the door come in? She wondered briefly, then checked herself. Because Heero came in that way.  
  
"Relena, I'm going to check on the other man," Milliardo said, and left her side. She looked down at her hands. Heero's blood stained them and dripped onto the floor. The doctor dropped down beside Heero, medical bag open.  
  
Two men came with a stretcher. With a gentle heave they put him down on it and strapped him on. "Take him to the infirmary, and get another stretcher for this man over here," she ordered. Guards ran off, quick to obey her bidding.  
  
"Relena," Noin said, stopping at her side. "Let's go to the infirmary. Milliardo will take care of things here for you."  
  
She nodded her agreement and fell in step behind the tall, dark-haired woman. She's changed a lot since when I first met her. I guess we all have.  
  
At last they made it. The infirmary is a small hospital inside of the castle. White beds lined the wall, patterns of sunlight spilling onto the crisp linen. A ways away she could hear the doctor's voice yell out orders to her nurses. The young blond woman had been working at the palace for almost six months now. Relena still didn't know her very well, but that was not surprising. There were far too many people at the palace to know them all.  
  
"Queen Peacecraft!" a soldier yelled from the door. "Approaching Gundam!"  
  
"Better go see who's coming for Heero, Noin," Relena said, rising from a cold chair. "Where is it?"  
  
"We have confirmed that it's going to land near the south entrance," he called. "Would you like me to take you to it?  
  
"Yes. Let's go now," she said and left with him and Noin. "I wonder who it is this time?"  
  
"Who knows?" Noin answered, shrugging her shoulders. Her uniform bobbed up and down with them.  
  
They reached the south entrance in about five minutes. A huge gust of wind bent the surrounding trees and blew Relena's dirty blond hair in her face. The huge machine landed, the metal scythe hanging limp in its arm. The Deathscythe landed agilely before her, huge metal torso opening as the hatch folded out.  
  
"Duo," Noin said flatly.  
  
Duo jumped onto the platform, his yard-long braid swinging behind him. Grabbing a rope he swung down and ran through the courtyard towards her.  
  
"Hey Miss Relena!" he shouted on his way over. "Where's Heero?"  
  
"He's in the infirmary. Why don't you come with us, Duo? We'll explain on the way," she promised.  
  
"So what happened to him, anyway?" Duo asked, easily keeping their pace through the sunlit halls. Behind the hills a blood red orb of fire was setting, casting a rainbow of colors everywhere.  
  
"I don't know why Heero was here," Noin said. "Maybe you can tell us later. Apparently he was hiding in a private room with Miss Relena, Milliardo and myself. An assassin was preparing to shoot Miss Relena, and Heero saved her. He was shot in the process."  
  
"What?" Duo exclaimed. "Will he be all right?"  
  
"Yes, it was only a shoulder wound," Relena answered. They reached the infirmary and walked in quietly. The noise of the doctor was gone. The operation was finished.  
  
Heero lay in a bed, a bare arm sitting bandaged on top of the sheets. The doctor walked over. "He should wake up in a few hours," she said. "Why don't you come back then?"  
  
"Of course, Miss…" Relena trailed off, failing to remember her name.  
  
"Marian Winner," she supplied, smiling warmly.  
  
"Sorry. Thank you Miss Winner."  
  
"Are you one of Quatre's sisters?" Duo inquired.  
  
She smiled again. "Yes. Do you know him?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm a Gundam pilot, too. So is the man you just saved."  
  
She looked surprised down at Heero's sleeping form, which for once wasn't cold and forbidding. "Really? What was he doing at the palace?"  
  
"Business," Duo said guardedly. Relena tensed. Something was going on here that she didn't know about.  
  
"It was very nice meeting you, Miss Winner. I'm afraid that I have other things to attend to now, so we'll be back in a few hours. Goodbye!" Relena said, excusing herself.  
  
"Where are you going, Miss Relena?" Noin asked.  
  
"My quarters. Please come with me, both of you." It didn't take long to get there. Electric lights were snapping on as dusk settled over the Sanc Kingdom. They reached Relena's quarters just as the last golden rays were filtering through half-closed blinds.  
  
Once seated in an office area, Relena urged Duo to tell her about Heero's mission. "Look Miss Relena, I don't know how much Heero wanted to tell you. Why don't we wait until he wakes up?" he suggested.  
  
"Are you sure it was nothing important? What if something goes wrong before he wakes up?"  
  
"Relena, your majesty, what have you got to worry about? You've got the Deathscythe parked on the front lawn and the God of Death's at your side. It doesn't get much safer than this," he said smiling. "So just calm down."  
  
   
  
~*~  
  
   
  
White walls surrounded white beds. Outside night had already fallen, bringing with it darkness and the faint glow of stars. A large glint marked the colonies.  
  
Stiffly, Heero sat up. Memories flooded back to him and he remembered his mission with a jolt. Quickly pulling out an I.V., he slipped to the floor, bare feet cold against the old linoleum.  
  
He glanced down at himself. He was wearing an oversized cotton shirt tied in the back and shorts. Obviously the doctor had done something with his clothes. Didn't matter.  
  
Slipping out of the small hospital, he wandered the halls, lost. Eventually he ended up in front of two large swinging metal doors. The kitchen, no doubt, he thought and quickly hid in a dark passage as two waiters came out, arguing loudly. He was about to take care of them when one said he was going to the Queen's quarters to pick up left over dishes.  
  
Heero followed the waiter for several minutes before they reached their destination. He then disposed of the man with a swift punch and entered.  
  
The room was dark and empty. At first Heero thought no one was there, then he heard a noise coming from another part of the room. Heading in that direction he found the bed, huge and covered with rumpled sheets and blankets. In the center lay Relena, deep in sleep.  
  
Unsure of what to do, Heero crept up the rest of the way and looked down on her. Although only one year had passed, she looked so different, so much older, but still as beautiful as before.  
  
"Relena," he murmured. That old feeling pulled at him again, stronger and somehow painful, like a tightening in his chest that was impossible to explain. "Relena," he whispered again.  
  
   
  
~*~  
  
   
  
"Relena", someone whispered. She was drawn out of the realms of dreams. She sat up blinking in disbelief. Heero was standing next to her bed.  
  
"Heero?" she asked, wondering if she'd woken up yet. It was too real, and reality hurt too much.  
  
"Yes?" came the reply, soft and yet still hard. He was still the Perfect Soldier, refusing to be human.  
  
"What's going on? Why are you here?" she said, pulling the blankets off and shifting her feet over the side of the bed.  
  
"I need you. Your help, I mean," he said, as if talking was a forced action. It probably was.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"Take me to the control center. I'll explain everything later."  
  
"But that's a restricted area. And besides, you're supposed to be resting. What happened to the I.V.?" she asked, her head clearing. Must've been the moonlight that made everything so unreal.  
  
"That doesn't matter. Your life may be in danger," he said quietly.  
  
"Why are you helping me? Just a couple of years ago you vowed to kill me. What stopped you, Heero?" she asked. She saw his slanted eyes narrow as her questions hit home.  
  
"I don't know why. I just couldn't do it, and now I'm weak," he said guiltily, as if confessing to a crime. "You make me weak."  
  
"Heero, hasn't this peace taught you anything? Love makes you stronger, not weaker."  
  
"Love," he repeated, as if he didn't know what the word meant.  
  
"You're no fool. I think you do know why you couldn't do it, but you're still not willing to accept it. That's your humanity you're turning away, and you'll never be strong until you admit that you're just mortal like the rest of us. Is that so hard to do, Heero?"  
  
Heero turned away. She reached out gently and held his hand. "I know why, Heero. I love you."  
  
He faced her again and smiled. Oh my God, Relena thought, her eyes widened in shock. Leaning forward he kissed her, and she found herself falling into him and he held her for a few minutes. "Aishiteru, Relena," he whispered.  
  
Slowly, he pulled away. "Now, take me to the control room."  
  
Relena stood up and put a robe on. Then walking over to a panel in the wall, she slid it to the left, revealing an old hallway, dimly lit by artificial lights.  
  
It was a long walk down the dusty corridor, allowing Relena's mind to wander. I can't believe this is happening. It's as if I'm living a dream.  
  
At last they reached the old metal door. Opening it carefully, they entered the control center. Three soldiers guarded the room and four sat in front of computers, occasionally yelling something foul at their monitors.  
  
The guards looked in shock as they emerged into the room, Relena in her bathrobe and Heero still wearing hospital clothes. Not to mention it was at least midnight.  
  
"Queen Relena," they said saluting her and eyeing Heero suspiciously.  
  
"This is the main computer," Relena said, gesturing to a high-tech computer with an overly large screen. Heero sat himself down in front of it and began typing furiously as the screen flashed before him. The other technicians stopped their work to witness the strange scene.  
  
"Word of this does not leave this room," Relena ordered sternly. All seven men saluted in recognition.  
  
"I found it," Heero said. "Get Noin and Milliardo. They may want to know about this."  
  
Relena nodded and sent a guard off to get them. A couple minutes later they arrived, along with Duo, in pajamas and unruly hair. Heero didn't seem the least bit surprised to see Duo there.  
  
"This better be important," Duo muttered. "I don't usually let people see the God of Death in his p.j.'s with his hair down."  
  
"Watch it!" Noin said, covering her face to avoid being whipped by Milliardo's long blond hair that he was attempting to straighten. "This is why men should not have long hair."  
  
"I found the hidden footage. It's a recording of Relena's room on the night of one of the assassinations."  
  
A square of colored film flickered into life. Relena saw herself walk through the bedroom towards the dresser, pull out some nightclothes and lay them on the bed. Blushing, Relena snatched the mouse away from Heero and fast-forwarded through her changing clothes.  
  
"Hiding something, your majesty?" Duo teased. "Maybe-" A look from Milliardo shut him up very quickly.  
  
Starting the recording again, they watched as she climbed into bed and slept. Then a figure appeared in the room. Realizing this recording was from tonight, she tried to reach for the mouse.  
  
"Now wait a minute," Noin said. "Who's that?"  
  
"Me," Heero answered slowly. "Wrong tape."  
  
"No, hold on," Milliardo interrupted and pointed to the screen. "Look at this."  
  
Another shape was in the room, documenting what had happened between herself and Heero with a video camera.  
  
"Why didn't I see that?" Heero asked himself.  
  
"Apparently you were preoccupied," Duo remarked grinning. "Oh, I can't wait to tell the others about this!"  
  
Relena blushed as the film revealed the kiss. Milliardo turned away, a slightly disturbed look on his face. Duo laughed. Noin just stared in shock. Heero did nothing but watch the shadow in the corner of the room as it followed them into the corridor…  
  
Already realizing what she had, Heero jumped up and ran over to the door. Swinging it open, he watched as a slight figure took off running. He chased after the person with Duo at his heels. Hearing the sound of an automatic weapon, Relena sprinted after them.  
  
Suddenly her mind flashed back to that man who shot Heero. His face was vaguely familiar… of course! Now she knew who it was. Michael E. Burkley, one of the men who opposed her status when she first became Queen. He had disappeared a few months ago.  
  
And that's when it hit her. Everything came together. Michael didn't have the power to overthrow her by military means; however, he could prove she was unfit to rule. By documenting an affair between her and a Gundam pilot, he could prove this.  
  
Although people saw the Gundam pilots as heroes, they were heroes with shadowy pasts and dark motives. They'd believe if someone of power told them that the Gundams were gaining power through a weak queen. Michael didn't have the name to do this, but someone else might. And that's who they were chasing.  
  
She reached her bedroom. Blood stained the rug by the open door, and her heart raced in anxiety. She heard voices outside. Glancing out her window, Relena's breath caught in her throat. Nearly twenty Leo's stood outside in the courtyard, surrounding the Deathscythe.  
  
The sound of a motorcycle caught her ears. Turning in that direction, she watched helplessly as Heero rode it into the forest, chased by two Aries.  
  
Overhead there was a loud explosion as one of the enemy carriers was split in half. Out of the rising smoke came Heavyarms, moving at an amazing speed to the line of Leo's guarding the Deathscythe.  
  
Blowing up three, the chest opened and rattled off a series of bullets, taking out another two Leo's. Relena felt her heart sink. War in a pacifist nation was not right, but there was no other choice at the time.  
  
   
  
~*~  
  
   
  
   
  
"Thanks Trowa!" Duo yelled, climbing into Deathscythe's cockpit. "The Shinnigami is back in action!"  
  
Trowa appeared on the screen, the image wavering slightly. "I'm going to go deal with those Aries chasing Heero."  
  
"Right. Leave the rest to me!" he yelled enthusiastically. The screen flicked off and Duo was shot back into attention (Literally "shot") by an approaching Leo.  
  
Laughing crazily, Duo activated the famous scythe. Leaping forward, he slashed one Leo then brought the large pole back and crashed it into another. Two satisfying explosions met his ears.  
  
The rest was all too easy. Only fifteen to fight the God of Death? They must be crazy, he thought. Eventually all that was left were smoldering piles of twisted green metal and huge smokestacks growing from them.  
  
In the distance the Wing Zero appeared, destroying the last carrier. "You guys always give me all the work," Duo said to himself.  
  
The rest of the Gundams landed in what was left of the courtyard. About five minutes later, all five GW pilots had entered the palace and were waiting to hear Relena's explanation along with Milliardo and Noin.  
  
"When I first became Queen, there were several people against me. The most outspoken of them was Michael E. Burkley. He was arrested for treason and put in jail. About three months ago, he disappeared. He was the one attempting to assassinate me, making it look the GW pilots were doing it. Many people were beginning to believe this.  
  
When the pilots finally did show up, as he guessed you would, he waited until the right time and then recorded a conversation between Heero and I."  
  
"A very interesting little movie," Duo interrupted, smirking.  
  
"Anyway, he had planned on changing various words to make it look like I was giving in to blackmail and that Heero was going to use me to attain power. I wasn't expecting him to use force o pull me off the throne, but apparently that's what he did."  
  
"Interesting plan," Quatre commented. "What was he filming anyway?"  
  
Duo grinned. "Heh, heh, heh." Ignoring a furious glare from Heero, he continued. "I believe it involved words including (coughed loudly "love") Not to mention the kiss…"  
  
Quatre smiled. "I think that's their business, Duo."  
  
"I bet. You won't believe this: Heero smiled!"  
  
"Okay, you idiot, I was willing to believe that little story up to there, but that's just pushing it," Wufei remarked. "Your foul little lies are going to catch up with you, you weakling."  
  
Duo frowned. "You think I'm lying? Have I ever lied to you? It's the truth, I swear!"  
  
Another unnatural wheeze came from Duo. "All right, fine! Don't believe me! I saw it with my own two eyes, for crying out loud! And… I've got the proof, too!" he cried, revealing the camcorder.  
  
A swift foot leaned out and tripped Duo. The camcorder was destroyed. "AAUGHHHH!" Duo screamed.  
  
Heero snickered cynically.  
  
   
  
~*~  
  
   
  
"Now do you believe me?" Duo cried, pointing at Heero. Five pairs of eyes widened in astonishment.  
  
An actual smile crept upon his face.  
  
"That's the second time he's done it," Quatre breathed. "It must be true love."  
  
Relena ignored the four Gundam pilots and Hilde as they gossiped. Not a normal thing for GW pilots to do, with the exception of Duo, but then many unusual things had happened since she'd gone to the L-1 colony and agreed to stay with Heero and his friend at their house for awhile.  
  
They all sat in the living room. Quatre watching TV and trying not to argue with the relaxing Duo about the show, Wufei occasionally inflicting pain on Duo, Hilde happily working in the kitchen, and Trowa reading a book. Only Heero wasn't in his usual place at the computer.  
  
He sat rather uncomfortably, on a small couch with her, not saying anything. Relena smiled and kissed him to the furthermore shock of the pilots. He didn't have to talk. She knew what he was thinking.  
  
"I love you, too," she whispered.  
  
"I heard that!" Duo yelled. "Ow!" 


End file.
